1. Field of Use
This invention relates generally to apparatus for storing and dispensing rolls of toilet tissue or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A wide variety of apparatus and equipment for storing and dispensing rolls of tissue, such as toilet tissue or the like, are known and in use. In commercial establishments or public facilities where tissue usage is high, it is preferable to employ a dispenser of a type wherein several rolls, in addition to the one in use, are stored in readiness for use when the one in use is depleted or exhausted. Furthermore, since the tissue wound on the stiff hollow core is flimsy in nature, it is more convenient from the user's standpoint that the roll in use be disposed so that the roll axis is generally horizontal. U.S. Pat. No. 3,295,777 shows apparatus of a type wherein a plurality of tissue rolls are stacked one above another with their axes vertical and having a spindle on which the roll in use is also vertically disposed. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,101,181; 2,993,658; 2,603,427; 2,564,539 and 2,495,252 each show forms of apparatus wherein the roll in use is horizontally disposed but the stored rolls are also horizontally disposed one above the other. Such horizontally stacked rolls tend to go "out of round" and can pose a risk of jamming or "hanging up" in the dispensing mechanism. Furthermore, many prior art forms of apparatus make no provision to prevent removal of an undepleted roll in use and thus stop pilfering.